Cutting pizza into slices for human consumption requires a tool adapted for rapid cutting and for applying varying amounts of pressure to the pizza, depending on the consistency of the toppings and the thickness of the crust.
Currently, pizza is cut by either an ordinary knife or by a specialized tool adapted for cutting pizza, i.e., a pizza cutter. Such pizza cutters typically comprise a circular blade attached to a handle of a generally rectangular shape. The blade is attached to the handle by an axle, and rotates in a plane perpendicular to the surface of the pizza. The circular blade thus forms a cutting wheel which allows the operator to cut the pizza by rolling the cutting wheel across the pizza while applying downward pressure. The angle at which the handle is positioned relative to the pizza is variable, thus allowing varying amounts of pressure to be applied to the pizza, accommodating various topping consistencies and crust thicknesses.
Typical pizza cutters do not have shields to protect the thumb or fingers from the blade, and the thumb or fingers may thus contact the blade, particularly when the handle is slippery due to contact with dough, flour, cheese, sauce and toppings.
Typical pizza cutters also do not have a shield to prevent the hand from contacting the pizza, such contact may result when the angle between the handle and the pizza is small.
Typical pizza cutters are not self-supporting, so that the cutter must be laid flat on a horizontal surface, which is often coated with flour, dough, cheese, and toppings, thus increasing the likelihood of injury to the hand because of the slipperiness of the handle.
In most pizza cutters the blade is free to wobble slightly from side to side during the cutting process, reducing efficiency and sometimes producing an uneven cut.